Posts Tagged ‘DJBeTray’

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If you don’t know Jose` James… download his music right away, grab your favorite drink, dim the lights and allow his silky baritone to transport your mind. His vocal styling will gently touch you, almost like a tickle then envelope you in crescendo leaving you wondering, how did we get here?

Even if this moment is the first time you’re hearing James, you may think, “He sounds so familiar.” When I listen to this Minneapolis born singer, sometimes he sounds a bit like Michael Franks, then it’s more Oscar Brown Jr. or maybe it’s Gil-Scott Heron with a touch of Johnny Hartman. Although he may remind you of some of your favorite classic vocalists, he undoubtedly blends it all into something very intimate and new.

James was born into music; his Dad was a saxophonist and had the ability to play multiple instruments. This may explain why James’ voice flows and reaches like a Jazz horn.

His tune, “Desire” from the “Dreamer” album is featured in my “Believe” mix. I suggest you immediately download the full “Dreamer” album, it’s a compilation of straight ahead jazz. Then get the “Blackmagic” album, a wonderful exploration of Neo-soul married with hip-hop and Jazz. Wherever James’ eclectic style takes you, I guarantee you’ll not only enjoy the ride, but also be thankful for it. Love!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

My first mixtapes consisted of bad radio recordings via my Casio cassette recorder with the external mic; more often, the background noise was louder than the music. Once I got ahold of a radio with a tape deck built in, I felt unstoppable. I still have some of those childhood tapes, one of my favorites had Shelia E.’sHold Me, Culture Club’s Mistake #3 and Tech and the Effx’s Perfect Match (from School Daze). My goal was to always catch the songs that didn’t get a lot of airplay, now I’m excited to share that music with you.

Fell in Love in the 80’s is the first installment in my new series of mixtapes showcasing some of my favorite love songs according to decade.

When I first started work on this mixtape I thought it would be part 2 to the first slow jam mix I posted on DJBeTray.com entitled, While You Were Swinging. While You Were Swinging focused on slow jams released during the New Jack Swing era in R&B. But Fell in Love in the 80’s goes beyond that with music predating the late 80’s and incorporating songs from the mid and early years of that decade. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a 70’s baby who loves 80’s music and the rarer the song the better; please enjoy this mixtape of classics. Love!